Pivoted bowstring responsive arrow support device



April 7, 1970 C. E. BABINGTON PIVOTED BOWSTRING RESPONSIVE ARROW SUPPORT DEVICE Filed April 19, 1968 INVENTOR. CHflEl. ES 6. fine/N6 701v BY fl /-//5 T TOENE Y5 United States Patent 0 3,504,659 PIVOTED BOWSTRIN G RESPONSIVE ARROW SUPPORT DEVICE Charles E. Babington, 335 Locust Drive, Springboro, Ohio 45066 Filed Apr. 19, 1968, Ser. No. 722,699 Int. Cl. F41h 5/00 US. Cl. 124-24 20 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to an archers bow and more particularly to an arrow rest arrangement for support ing an arrow when the bowstring is fully drawn but moves out of the arrow support position after the arrow is placed in flight upon release of the bowstring.

Numerous types of arrows rests have been designed in an effort to improve the sighting characteristics when aiming and to minimize contact between any part of the arrow and the bow as the arrow is placed in flight. Some arrow rests are made from bristles or brushes and some have parts which are pivoted by the arrow itself as it passes therealong. In one case it was suggested to provide an arrow rest pivoted completely out of the arrow path by a string connected between the arrow rest and the end of one of the bow limbs. Each of the prior arrow rests of which I am aware suffers from the draw back that at least some contact between the arrow in flight and the bow limbs or the bow rests will result in a drag on or deflection of the arrow shaft. Moreover, many of the arrow rests obstruct a considerable portion of the sighting area.

An object of this invention is to provide an arrow rest which pivots completely out of the arrow path with little or no drag on the arrow while guiding the arrow during the initial part of its flight. In accordance with this invention, the arrow rest is spring biased out of an arrow support position but maintained in a support position during the initial part of the arrow flight by an elastic member connected between the arrow rest and the bowstring.

Another object of this invention is to provide an arrow rest responsive to positions of the arrow bowstring and is therefore usable with recurved bows as well as ordinary long bows.

A further object of this invention is to provide such an arrow rest which supports an arrow sufliciently spaced from any other part of the bow that the arrow does not engage any part of the bow as it passes therealong in flight. Thus, as soon as the flight path of the arrow is determined after release of the bowstring, the arrow will not contact any part of the bow to deflect it out of its flight path. This invention is particularly advantageous when used with arrows having fletchings made of plastic vanes. Plastic vanes have many advantages but the arrow may be thrown off course if the vanes slap against the bow. Also it is well known that an arrow properly matched with a given bow will tend to return to its initial flight path even though deflected by the bow. A variety of factors influence the distance within which, and the precision with which, the arrow returns to its flight path. These factors would, of course, be minimized in accordance with this invention because there is no initial deflection. It is believed that the criticality with which arrows must be matched with bows will be greatly reduced when using the arrow rest of this invention.

A further object of this invention is to provide an arrow rest which moves away from its arrow support position after the arrow is in flight and which only minimally obstructs the area of the sight window. This is accomplished in accordance with this invention by making the arrow rest of a simple rod or wire-like construction which permits sighting both above and below the arrow as well as to the side of the arrow. The rod or wire-like construction of this invention is obviously beneficial when applied to center shot bows.

In modern recurved bow constructions, one side of the handle is curved inwardly with a portion thereof lying on the longitudinal centerline of the bow limbs. When aiming, the arrow is rested against this portion of the handle. Another object of this invention is to provide an archers bow With a handle side out further inwardly than in present practice and with a movable arrow rest which supports an arrow out of engagement with any surface of the bow limbs or handle, the arrow rest being located to support an arrow such that the centerline of the arrow intersects the longitudinal centerline of the bow limbs. Therefore, the entire thrust of the bowstring transmitted to the arrow will be in the direction of the arrows flight path and contact between an arrow in flight and any part of the bow is eliminated.

Another object of this invention is to provide an arrow rest assembly which can be readily attached to existing bows without any significant modification of the bows.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from the following description and the drawing in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view of a recurved bow provided with an arrow rest in accordance with this invention. FIGURE 1 also illustrates an arrow and the bowstring in the position these parts occupy when the bowstring is fully drawn;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged, side elevational view of a portion of the bow and the arrow enclosed within the circle 2 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a front elevational view of the same portion of the bow shown in FIGURE 2 with the arrow positioned thereon;

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view of a portion of the arrow rest assembly of this invention disassembled from the bow;

FIGURE 5 is a side elevational view of a portion of the arrow rest assembly. The position of parts shown in full lines in FIGURE 5 is the position they would normally occupy at rest. A cocked position of some parts is illustrated in phantom lines in FIGURE 5;

FIGURE 6 is a perspective view of generally the same portion of the bow shown in FIGURE 2 but from the opposite side thereof and showing parts of the arrow rest in their cocked position; and

FIGURE 7 is a partially exploded perspective view of a portion of the bowstring and a band connected thereto in accordance with this invention.

Referring to the drawing, a recurved bow made in accordance with this invention is generally designated 10 and includes a recurved upper limb 12 and a recurved lower limb 14 connected at a handle 16. The handle 16 is recessed along one side face, designated 16a, thereof to form a center shot window 18, the bottom margin of which is defined by a guard shelf or ledge 20. A bowstring 22 has loops at its ends wrapped about nooks at upper and lower bow tips 24 and 26, respectively.

The bow 10 illustrated is a right-hand bow. Accordingly, the window 18 and the ledge 20 are on the right-hand side as viewed from the front in FIGURE 3. It is to be understood and it will become apparent that this invention is equally applicable to left-hand bows. In either case, the recess in the handle 16 is sufliciently deep that the side face 16a is curved past and is extended parallel to the longitudinal centerline of the bow limbs 12 and 14. As will be later described, an arrow can then be supported in the plane of movement of the bowstring 22, which is the plane containing both the longitudinal centerline of the bow limbs 12 and 14 and the bowstring 22.

In accordance with this invention, the bow includes an arrow rest 28 for supporting arrows in the sight window 18 a short distance above the guard shelf or ledge 20. The rest 28, which is of a wire or rod construction, includes a leg 30 and an arrow support arm 32 extending from the approximate mid-portion of the leg 30 and slanting slightly upwardly away from the adjacent planar portion of the face 16a. The lower end of the leg 30 is parallel to the adjacent side face 16a and the upper end of the leg 30 is bent toward the side face 16a so that it lies at an angle of approximately 90 with respect to the support arm 32. Accordingly, an arrow 36 may be conveniently nested on the V-shaped cradle formed by the upper end of the leg 30 and the support arm 32 as the bowstring 22 is drawn. As illustrated in FIGURE 3, the cradle is desirably located to support the arrow 36 with its centerline in the plane of movement of the bowstring 22. The leg 30 is connected to a pivot pin 34 projecting perpendicularly therefrom and journalled for rotation in a support plate 38 and a bearing block 40 welded or otherwise connected to the support plate 38. For ease of manufacture, the pivot pin 34 is integral with the arrow rest leg 30.

The support plate 38 is generall shaped as a sector of an ellipse having straight, mutually perpendicular rear and bottom edges. Mounted on the face of the plate 38 opposite from the bearing block 40 and the arrow rest 28 are a pair of flanges 42 and 44 which are coextensive with the rear and bottom edges of the plate 38. A lug 46 is formed at the juncture of the flanges 42 and 44 and a pair of lugs 48 and 50 are formed at the outer or free ends of the flanges 42 and 44, respectively. These lugs are tapped as indicated at 52 for the mounting of the support plate 38 by screws 54 onto a mounting plate 56 attached by screws 58 on the face of the handle 16 opposite the sight window 18. The flange construction 42, 44 with the lugs 46, 48 and 50 may be welded to or may be integral with the support plate 38.

The positions of the arrow rest 28 relative to the shelf or ledge in the window 18 is, in accordance with this invention, determined by the draw of the bowstring 22. For this purpose, an elastic band 60 has one end connected to the bowstring 22 and its other end connected to an operating arm 62. Referring to FIGURE 7, the elastic band 60 has a loop 60a at one end receiving the bowstring 22 and clamped thereto by a spring metal clip 61. As shown best in FIGURE 4, a loop 60b at the other end of the band 60 is connected to the operating arm 62 by a split ring connector 64, the body of which passes through an aperture in one end of the operating arm 62. The other end of the operating arm 62 includes a bifurcated plate portion 66, the forked ends of which are apertured to form spaced, aligned bearings 68 receiving the pivot pin 34. A bifurcated link 70 welded to the pivot pin 34 and having forked portions 72 straddling the plate portion 66 of the arm 62 connects the arm 62 to the pivot pin 34. A torsion spring 74 is coiled about the pivot pin 34 between the bearings 68 and has one end portion engaging the adjacent face of the flange 42 and its other end engaging the top surface of the plate portion 66 of the arm 62. The entire assembly of the plate portion 66 with its bearings 68, the connecting link 70 and the torsion spring 74 are confined between the confronting faces of the support plate 38 and the mounting plate 56.

As apparent from the location of the spring 74, the operating arm 62 is biased into a lower position illustrated by phantom lines 62a in FIGURE 2. In this position the arrow rest is not in an effective arrow support position because it extends forwardly of the bow and quite low in the sight window 18. This position of the arrow rest is indicated by the phantom lines 28a in FIG- URE 2. In operation, an arrow will be nocked to the bowstring 22 and positioned, as indicated by the phantom lines 36a in FIGURE 2, in engagement with the lowered arrow rest 28. In the relaxed or fistmele position of the bowstring 22, the elastic band is relaxed or unstretched but desirably is held by the bowstring 22 and the arm 62 at its full relaxed length so that it does not sag. As the bowstring 22 is drawn, the elastic band 60 begins to stretch. As it stretches, its tension becomes sufficient to overcome the bias of the spring 74 and pull the arrow rest 28 to its upright position, shown in full lines in FIG- URE 2, at which time the archer using the bow may take aim with the arrow 36 appropriately positioned. This position is also illustarted in FIGURE 3, wherein it will be noted that the arrow 36 rests against the arrow rest cradle formed by the leg 30 and the support arm 32 out of contact with any other surface of the bow 10. Because the arrows feathers or fletchings, designated 76, are closer to the adjacent face 16a of the sight window 18 than other parts of the arrow, the face 16a is recessed beyond the longitudinal centerline of the bow limbs 12 and 14 by a distance slightly exceeding the spacing between the arrows longitudinal centerline and the outermost edges of the feathers or fletchings 76.

When the fully drawn bowstring 22 is released to propel the arrow 36 in flight, the entire thrust of the bowstring applied to the arrow 36 is in the direction of its intended flight. Simultaneously with the release of the bowstring 22, the elastic band 60 first begins to return to its original, relaxed length but continues to hold the operating arm 62 and the arrow rest 28 in the upright arrow support position. Immediately thereafter the elastic band 60 becomes sufficiently relaxed that the torsion spring 74 returns the operating arm 62 and the arrow rest 28 to the rest position shown in phantom lines in FIGURE 2. Assuming the elasticity and length of the elastic band 60 are properly selected, the arrow rest 28 will fall out of its arrow support position shortly before the bowstring 22 returns to its fistmele position and as the arrow 36 is propelled in flight. Accordingly, the arrow rest 28 serves to support the arrow 36 for a short time interval during which the flight path of the arrow 36 is determined. Before the feathers or fletchings 76 reach the arrow rest, however, it is flipped by the spring 74 out of the path of any part of the arrow. The drag resulting from contact between the arrow 36 and the arrow rest 28 is held to a minimum and there is no deflection of the arrow flight path resulting from contact between the feathers or fletchings 76 and any part of the how 10 including the arrow rest 28. The elasticity and length of the elastic band 60 can readily be determined by trial and error. The effective length of the elastic band 60 can also be critically adjusted by changing its point of connection to the bowstring 22 merely by sliding along the bowstring. The spring metal clip 61, however, should be sufficiently strong to firmly hold the loop 60a in any adjusted position on the bowstring 22.

A cocking lever 78 is illustrated in the drawing which some archers may want to use to preposition the arrow rest 28. The lever 78 is pivotally mounted on a fixed pivot pin 80 and biased by a torsion spring 82 coiled about the pin 80 into a lower position illustrated in full lines in each of FIGURES l, 2, 3, 4 and 5. As best shown in FIG- URE 5, the coil spring 82 bears against the top of the lug 46 and the top surface of the cocking lever 78. Mounted on the top surface of the cocking lever 78 is a plate 84 having a forwardly projecting tongue 86 which is spaced from the top surface of the cocking lever 78. Similarly mounted on the bottom of the operating arm 62 is a plate 88 having a rearwardly projecting tongue 90 which, in the rest position of the parts illustrated in FIGURES 4 and 5, rests upon the top surface of the plate 84. The pivot pin 80 is spaced below and forwardly of the pivot pin 34 for the operating arm 62. If the cocking lever 78 is manually pivoted to the position designated by phantom lines 78a in FIGURE 5, the operating arm 62 is also pivoted to an intermediate upright position illustrated by the phantom lines 62b in FIGURE 5 whereupon the tongues 86 and 90 interlock. The cocking of the operatng arm 62 by movement of the cocking lever 78 would be done before the bowstring 22 is drawn. During the subsequent draw of the bowstring 22, the elastic band 60 becomes taut as already described and the operating arm 62 is pivoted further upwardly from the phantom line position 621) shown in FIGURE 5. The tongue 90 is thereby drawn out of the spacing between the tongue 86 and the top surface of the cocking lever 78. As soon as the tongues 86 and 90 are thus disengaged, the spring 82 returns the cocking lever 78 to its rest position and the operation of the device proceeds as described above.

The top surface of the lug 50 and the forward surface of the lug 48 constitute stop surfaces limiting the pivotal movement of the operating arm 62. Of course, the operating arm 62 in the embodiment shown in the drawing can never engage the top surface of the lug 50 because the cocking lever 78 is interposed therebetween. In FIGURE 2 it will be noted that the leg 30 of the arrow rest 28 is angled further from the vertical than is the operating arm 62 in the full line positions thereof. Therefore, the leg 30 is never perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the shaft of the arrow 36 but is always forward of the vertical. When the arrow rest 28 falls as the arrow 36 is propelled into flight, the support arm 32 falls forwardly from its arrow support position. Otherwise, if the leg 30' were vertical or if the support arm 32 fell rearwardly from its arrow support position, the frictional engagement between the arrow 36 and the support arm 32 would be increased and a noisy chattering or skipping of the arrow 36 along the arrow rest 28 could result. To further minimize friction, the upper end of the leg 30 and the support arm 32 are shown covered by sleeves or pads 92. These may be made from plastic or from a leather soaked with a lubricant.

As already mentioned, the bow construction illustrated in the drawing differs from presently available bow constructions in the depth of the recess in the handle 16 as Well as in the construction of the arrow rest assembly. It may also be necessary to add to the rearward depth or the width of the handle 16 adjacent the sight window 18 to compensate for the necessary loss of strength resulting from the depth of this recess. At the present time the stiffness or spine of arrows is matched with the pull Weight of bows so that the arrows will tend to properly bend as they are released in flight, curving away from the bow handle. In view of the construction of this invention, wherein the arrow is located on the plane of movement of the bowstring, the matching of arrows to bows is less critical. If anything it is believed that a stiffer arrow than commonly used in the past would be advisable to prevent unwanted flexing of the arrow when aimed and released.

It will be noted that the operating arm 62 and the cocking lever 78 as well as their respective biasing springs 74 and 88 are confined between the confronting faces of the support plate 38 and the mounting plate 56. Because of this construction, the entire arrow rest assembly, including the arrow rest 28, the support member formed by the plates 38 and 56, the arm 62, the lever 7 8 and the elastic band 60, could easily be attached to existing archers bows. Thus, the arrow rest assembly of this invention may be manufactured as part of a new bow construction or as a separate operating unit for attachment to existing bows. No modification of existing bow constructions is required other than the provision of holes to receive the screws 58.

Of course, if the arrow rest assembly of this invention is attached to existing bow constructions, the relationship of the arrow to the bowstring would be different from that illustrated in FIGURE 3. Rather, the arrow would be supported such that its longitudinal centerline is spaced to one side of the longitudinal centerline of the bow limbs and the arrow would angle rearwardly and inwardly to the bowstring. When used with existing bow constructions, the arrow cradle formed by the arrow rest leg 30 and support arm 32 should be positoned so that the side of an arrow supported thereon is spaced from the adjacent face of the sight window by substantially the same spacing as the outer edges of the feathers or fletchings are spaced from the same side of the arrow. In use, the feathers or fietchings on an arrow in flight, as in the case of the bow construction previously described, will not touch any part of the bow. When attaching the elastic band 60 to exist ing bows, or when replacing worn out bands 60 in the bow 10 illustrated in the drawing, one end of the bowstring 22 is removed from the bow limbs and the loop 600 slipped thereover. Band loop 60b can easily be removed from or reinserted on the. ring connector 64 by separating the split parts thereof.

It will also be apparent from the foregoing that the arrow rest assembly of this invention, because it operates in response to the motion of the bowstring, could advantageously be used on long bows having no recurve in the same manner it is used on the recurved how 10 illustrated in the drawing.

Although the presently preferred embodiment of the device has been described, it will be understood that With in the purview of this invention various changes may be made within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a bow having limbs a bowstring connected to the tips of said limbs, an arrow rest movably mounted on the bow, means interconnecting said arrow rest and the bowstring, said means being connected to said bow string intermediate said tips of said bow limb, and automatically moving said arrow rest to an effective arrow support position as the bowstring is drawn, and means connected to said arrow rest moving said arrow rest from the arrow flight path upon release of the drawn bowstring.

2. The structure of claim 1 wherein said means interconnecting said arrow rest and the bowstring includes an elastic member stretched as the bowstring is being drawn and relaxed after the fully drawn bowstring is released.

3. The structure of claim 1 wherein said how has a handle with a recessed surface, said arrow rest being mounted on said handle with said effective arrow support position located to support an arrow adjacent said recessed surface and with its longitudinal centerline in the plane of movement of the bowstring.

4. An archers bow construction including a pair of how limbs connected by a handle having a recessed surface, a bowstring connected to the tips of said bow limbs, an arrow rest mounted on said handle, said arrow rest forming a cradle for supporting an arrow adjacent said recessed surface with the longitudinal centerline of the arrow located in the plane of movement of said bowstring, bias means pivoting said arrow rest away from an arrow support position adjacent said recessed surface and means connected to said bowstring intermediate said tips and interconnecting said bowstring and said arrow rest for moving said arrow rest to its arrow support position adjacent said recessed surface.

5. The bow construction of claim 4 wherein said last mentioned means includes an elastic member stretched as said bowstring is drawn.

6. In an archers bow of the type having a centrally located sight window between a pair of bow limbs to which a bowstring is attached, an arrow rest pivotally mounted on the bow adjacent the sight window for pivotal movement from a first position in which said arrow rest is adapted to support an arrow in the sight window remote from any surface of the bow to a second position in which said arrow rest is out of the path of movement of any portion of such an arrow propelled by releasing the bowstring, operating means interconnecting said arrow rest and said bowstring said operating means being connected to said bowstring intermediate the tips of said bow limbs and said operating means pivoting said arrow rest into said first position responsive to the movement of the bowstring when being drawn, and bias means pivoting said arrow rest to said second position after the drawn bowstring is released.

7. The structure of claim 6 wherein the arrow is supported by said arrow rest with its longitudinal centerline in the plane of movement of the bowstring.

8. The structure of claim 6 wherein said operating means includes an elastic member which, by movement of the bowstring away from said sight window during draw and before the bowstring is fully drawn, is stretched to a tension sufiicient to pivot said arrow rest to said first position prior to the bowstring being fully drawn and to retain said arrow rest in said first position for an interval after release of said drawn bowstring.

9. The structure of claim 6 further including a manually operable cocking lever for releasably holding said arrow rest in an intermediate position between said first and second positions, pivot means mounting said cocking lever on said how and bias means biasing said cocking lever into an uncooked position.

10. The structure of claim 6 wherein said arrow rest is of a rod construction having a pair of generally perpendicularly projected arms forming a cradle therebetween for receiving an arrow shaft when said arrow rest is in said first position, wherein said arrow rest is pivotally mounted upon said bow by a pivot pin, and wherein said operating means includes an operating arm connected to said pivot pin for rotation therewith and an elastic member interconnecting said operating arm and said bowstring.

11. The structure of claim 10 further including a sup port member mounted on said bow, said support member having an aperture therein rotatably receiving said pivot pin and a pair of spaced stop surfaces limiting the pivotal movement of said operating lever and, accordingly, said arrow rest.

12. The structure of claim 11 wherein said bias means comprises a spring having a portion thereof coiled about said pivot pin with one end engaging said support membet and the other end engaging said operating lever.

13. The structure of claim 11 further including a cocking lever having a surface portion engageable with a surface portion of said operating lever and adapted to preposition said operating lever and, accordingly, said arrow rest intermediate said stop surfaces.

14. The structure of claim 13 further including means connected to said cocking lever biasing said cocking lever into an uncooked position, said surface portion of said operating lever being disengaged from said cocking lever as said bowstring is drawn taut.

15. An arrow rest assembly for attachment to an archers bow having a bowstring comprising: a support member adapted to be attached to an archers how, a pivot pin journalled for rotation on said support member, an arrow rest affixed to said pivot pin for rotation therewith, bias means engaging between said support member and said pivot pin, said bias means biasing said arrow rest into a position relative to said support member which renders said arrow rest ineffective to support an arrow when said support member is attached to an archers bow, and operating means afiixed to said pivot pin for rotating said pivot pin, said operating means including an elastic member adapted to be connected to the bowstring.

16. The arrow rest assembly of claim 15 wherein said operating means further includes an operating arm connected between said pivot pin and said elastic member.

17. The arrow rest assembly of claim 16 further including a pair of stop surfaces on said support member limiting the pivotal movement of said operating arm.

18. The arrow rest assembly of claim 17 wherein said bias means biases said operating arm toward one of said stop surfaces.

19. The arrow rest assembly of claim 18 further including a cocking lever engageable with said operating arm and pivoted to said support member.

20. The arrow rest of claim 19 wherein said support member comprises a mounting plate directly attachable to a bow and a support plate mounted on said mounting plate, and wherein said operating arm and said cocking lever are partially located between confronting surfaces of said mounting plate and said support plate.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,975,780 3/1961 Fisher 124 24 3,224,427 12/1965 Ronan 124-25 RICHARD C. PINKHAM, Primary Examiner W. R. BROWNE, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

